Abu Dhabi Police launch anti-begging campaign ahead of Ramadan

Director General of Police Operations crackdown said campaigns will be carried out by the concerned police authorities to arrest beggars and take the appropriate legal sanctions against them.

ABU DHABI - The Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters launched on Saturday an extensive societal and media initiative under the theme “No to Begging.” The initiative, which will be implemented in cooperation with the Security Media Department at the General Secretariat of the Office of Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Interior, falls under the framework of the “Your Safety” Campaign, to raise awareness about the risks of dealing with beggars, whose prevalence noticeably increases before and during Ramadan and other religious holidays.

In a press release issued today, Major General Omair Muhammad Ateeq Al Muhairi, Director General of Police Operations at Abu Dhabi Police, said: “The concerned police entities, through their various headquarters and departments, are exerting significant efforts to combat this social affliction, through crackdown campaigns and awareness initiatives designed to eradicate this objectionable behavior, which detracts from the civilized image of society  and endangers community members as some beggars commit robberies under the guise of beggary.”

He urged community members to donate their money through the appropriate channels to support humanitarian efforts carried out under the auspices of the competent entities during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

Major General Al Muhairi announced that crackdown campaigns will be carried out by the concerned police authorities to arrest beggars and take the appropriate legal sanctions against them. He also warned against the risks of interacting and sympathizing with beggars, as it could often be an introduction to commit other crimes such as robberies. He added: “Thanks to the ongoing awareness campaigns and the joint cooperation between the public and media, there was a marked decline in the number of beggars, year-after-year.”

Major Al Muhairi urged the public to report the actions and behaviors from beggars by calling the Police Operations Room on 999 or via the “Aman” service on 8002626, or via SMS on 2828. Every report will be dealt with immediately and referred to pertinent authorities.

For its part, the Security Media Department announced that, in an effort to help raise public awareness and urge cooperation with police by reporting beggars, the department will publish advisories about the risks of begging through the social media channels of the Abu Dhabi Police, on the display screens in a number of shopping malls in Abu Dhabi; and during Friday sermons, in cooperation with the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments.

Learn more about this initiative by visiting the following links:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AbuDhabiPolice 

Twitter - @AbuDhabiPolice

Google+ - https://plus.google.com/111953851120413906365 

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/user/theabudhabipolice 

• UAE